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N.PETERS. PHOTO-LITHDGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. Dv C.

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ASA T.- BROOKS, OFy NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGrN OR TO RUSSELL AND yERWIN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

Letters .Patent No. 77,165, dated April 28, 1868.

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To ALL wnoM rr MAY coNcnRN:

I Be it known that I, ASA T. BRoons, of New Britain, vcounty'of Hartford, and State of Connecticut, have nvented certain new .and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Locks or Latches; and to enablerothers skilled in the art to make and use the same, I will proceed` to describe the same by referring to the drawings, in which the same letters indicate' like parts in each of the figures. The nature of this invention will be understood from thespecication and drawings. In the manufacture and sale-of locks or latches, it isl a great desideratum to have the mechanism thereof so constructed and arranged as to`eii`ectually prevent or cut oil skeleton-keys orrburglars implements from being successfully plied'thereto through the key-hole. Several attempts have been `made' to eifect this,object,euch as 'inserting a slitted thimble hetween the platesof the lock or latch, directly against the key-hole, and securing' an arm to oneside of said thimble to nctuate-the bolt, and also securing thereto a plate to closeup a portion of the key-hole, so that, when thestem ofthe key is inserted into said thimble, the bit thereof, which actuntes they tnmblers, will slide down and protrude through the saidslit formed in:` the thimble, and, when the key is turned, its action will cause the thimble with its arm and'plate acting'in Aunison with the hit ofthe key to close that portion of the key-hole unoccupied by the stem ofthe key, and reti-acts'the bolt, and, when thekey is withdrawn, the tumbler is left in the position to re-insert the key.

This arrangement. is very liable, from accident-or design, 5to be misplaced, or its prop er action obstructed, and thereby render itdiiiicult if not impossible" to insert the key. Other and unsuccessful efforts lhave been: V

made to secure this thimble in'a ixed position, as when the key is withdrawn. v

The object of this invention is tosupersede the use of a thimble, and substitute therefor what I `call a oscillating-guard or ward-bar.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 isa face view of a lock 'or latch,having the cap-"plate removed, showing the arrangement of its mechanism; also a face and edge view of the latch and oscillating-guard or'ward-bar; also a face view of the tumblers detached from thepcase. i A i Figure 2 is a face view of` a lock or latch, having. the cap-piate removed, showingA the arrangement of its Y mechanism ina modified form; also a face and edgel view of the "oscilla'tng-guard 'or ward-bar, and a face view of the tumblers'detached from the case.` I v a is the case, broken away, in fig. 1, just above the latch, and in fig. Zjust below the oscillating-guard or ward-bar.v

a'is 'thc face-plate ,of the lock or latch. A

a isl the bolt or latch of the'lock.

a" is a portion of the yoke, connected to the back end of the latch.

This case, face-plate, bolt, or latch, and the manner of attaching the yoke to the back end thereof, are eiected in the usual way. i

h are the tumblers, which oscillate on stud-pins it', and areaetuated by springs in the usual way.

A is the oscillating-guard or ward-bar, which has its bearing and oscillates upon the fulcrum-pinc.

It will be seen, by the two examples shown, that this bar A may be made of different forms and shapes, while the same result or action 'is produced thereby.A

B isaJ cutoif, which, when the bar is moved forward, closes up the key-opening, except so much as is or may be occupied by the stem of the key.

C is a ward, arranged upon said bar, which allows 0r prevents the proper action of the tumblers,

D is a stud, or portion of the bar A, which serves to throw back the latch-bolt by the action of the key andpermission ofthe tumhlers. I

' This bar is reacted or held back in its proper positionby a douhle-acting spring, E, which coils around the i'ulcrum-pin c, one end of which takes its l'bearing against a boss, ol, or its equivalent, and the other end against the stud-pin d' formed on the bar A.

The lower end ofthe yoke a" is connected to the back end ofthe bolt a, and the upper end of the bar A acts against the lower end of the yoke a'", or its equivalent, to throw back the latch a.

The openings or notohesfthrough or near the ends of the tumblcrs have their particular oiiice in the operation of the mechanism, either to prevent or allow the bar A to move or oscillate to aotuate the bolt-a.

Fis a hole or stem, for the support of the body of the key'1 u New, it will be seen that by inserting the key of the'lock or latch, and turning it forward in the usual way, the bit will strike the bar A, and canse it to move forward with itsjvard 0which enters the warilopenings,

and allows the bolt or latch to move back into the case of the latch, at the same time the cut-oi` closesnll of that portion of the key-hole opening through which the bit of the key enters the case; but if a strange key be` inserted, even though it be very nearly like the original, and even if vall the tumblcrs were raised, lacking on c, exactlyl as by the original key, and that one very slightly fails' to receive the ward, the action of the whole is ntonee arrested; and any eort to actuate thetumblers and latch by means of burglars' implements will be found still more difficult, because, in order to effect a retraction ofthe bolt', the tumblcrs must be lifted, ondthe bar A must be oscillated, and, in the irst short movement of the bar, thc whole of the bit-portion ot' the key-hole is closed up by the cut-oil', leaving only a hole, the diameter of the body of the key, in which to ply instruments for `picking the lock. Thus I am enabled to overcome obstacles and objections heretofore raised, and produce a chgcap, simple, and efficient article of use and trade y l'. believe I have thus shown the nature, construction, and advantage of this invention, so as to enable others skilietl in the art-to make and use 'the same therefrom.

4What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Potent, ifa- The combination and arrangement of the oscillating spring-guard or ward-bar A, with the latch and tumblers, substantially as and for the purpose described.

ASA T. BROOKS. [1... 5.]

Witnesses: v

E. W. Buss, JEREMY W. BLISS. 

